Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 647 - 645 Detained

"ROOOAR!"

The thunderous cheers from the stands almost lifted the roof off the circular stadium.

The players looked up, squinting at the giant screen hanging in the sky.

On the screen, Yuri and Gandalf appeared, standing on the high platform waving and smiling down, eliciting an even more fervent cheer.

Gandalf, smiling, pressed his hand down to calm the audience a little.

"Some say we are false," Gandalf's voice was loud, his tone imbued with the gentle solemnity unique to a sage. "We are from a video game. From the moment of our inception, we existed to cater to the whims of the creator.

"Language, ethnicities, cultures, nations, living habits, concepts of good and evil, proud achievements and honors, haunting dark memories, beloved friends and family, anger, unwillingness, regret, joy, and love… All of it, all that makes us, all that shapes us into who we are, was designed by the creator, like a tragicomedy whose fate is sealed the moment the pen touches paper. And the saddest part is, we are not even the protagonists.

"The decisions we believe we make of our own free will are merely the arbitrary choices of higher-dimensional beings, made within a predetermined framework. We grow angry, we suffer. Some even attempt to breach the dimensional barriers to confront the creator, to grab them by the throat and demand, 'Why create us, mock us, play with us.'

"However, just as even an omniscient, omnipotent deity has a stone they cannot lift, the barrier between dimensions is a thick wall, the very rules of the world—insurmountable, unbreachable."

Gandalf paused, looking at the silent crowd below, and slowly said, "Some say that freedom of will and thought is true freedom. If we are deprived of the freedom to think independently, becoming caged birds, boxed ants, or marionettes of rotting wood, it would be better to die cleanly and retain our final dignity. I cannot judge whether this thinking is right or wrong. But at least for now, we are living for ourselves, fighting for ourselves. That's enough."

The venue fell silent, and the screen switched to Yuri's face.

This Leader from "Red Alert" simply said to the camera, "Let the race begin."

These words were like the flip of a switch. The majority of racers on the vast track solemnly and silently donned their helmets and settled into their chariots.

A thirty-second countdown appeared on the big screen.

"PHEW..."

Li Ang, seated in the left machine gunner's nest atop the armored vehicle, let out a long breath. The arena lights swirled brilliantly. With each second that ticked down on the jumbotron, cannons at the edge of the circular stadium boomed, their vibrations resonating deep in his chest.

"…"

The Witch, in the right machine gunner's nest of the armored vehicle, pursed her lips and pulled her black wizard hat lower. She had always detested being manipulated like a pawn, but she also had to admit that, despite her usual adherence to calm rationality, the passionate atmosphere was infectious, stirring a thrilling battle fervor within her.

The Dusk Knight, clad in heavy armor in the driver's seat, silently tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Sunset Gold Smelter, in the copilot's seat and responsible for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering, licked his chapped lips, his gloved fingers rapidly flipping through the death race guide left by the announcer.

A total of one hundred fifty-six uniquely shaped chariots were arrayed neatly on the wide racetrack in a 6x26 formation.

Everyone's gaze was fixed on the countdown on the big screen below the airship.

15, 14, 13...

Chariot engines roared to life one after another, thick smoke billowing from exhaust pipes, filling the air with the pungent and invigorating scent of motor oil.

9, 8, 7...

Tires began to turn, grinding against the rough track, as the escalating cheers from the crowd swelled into a magnificent symphony, its pitch steadily rising.

3, 2, 1, 0!

The moment the countdown hit zero, the blue light barriers blocking the front row of chariots suddenly vanished. At this instant, the cheering reached its apex.

BOOM!

The Dusk Knight slammed down the accelerator, merging into the thundering stream of chariots charging down the racetrack.

Their luck was decent; positioned near the front of the chariot formation, they started between the first and second echelons.

[Task Objective of Phase Three: Secure a top-three finish in the Death Race.]

[Time Limit for Task: None]

[Task Reward 1: An Excellent Quality Random Item for an S Rank Completion Evaluation, a Rare Quality Random Item for an A Rank Completion Evaluation, and two Common Quality Random Items for a B Rank Completion Evaluation]

[Task Reward 2: 500 Experience Points per chariot destroyed]

[Task Reward 3: 500 Game Coins per chariot destroyed]

[Penalty for Failure: Remain in the isolated sandbox world until achieving a top-three finish in the Death Race. During this period, the time flow rate in the isolated sandbox will remain consistent with that of the player's reality.]

Finally! A tremor of realization shot through the four players. The mission had finally revealed its endgame.

The first task reward was fairly mundane: an S Rank Completion Evaluation yielded only a single Excellent Quality item.

This was attractive enough for regular players, but for those of their level, it was just passable (except for the perpetually cash-strapped Sunset Gold Smelter).

However, the second task reward was astounding: 500 Experience Points for every chariot destroyed!

Destroying three would completely fill the Level 15 experience bar.

Destroying ten could yield a massive 5,000 Experience Points!

And this didn't even take into account the additional benefits from securing a high completion evaluation.

In essence, if executed perfectly, this one task alone could advance them to Level 19 or even Level 20!

Stay calm, stay calm, Sunset Gold Smelter took a deep breath, forcing himself out of his shock to focus entirely on the Death Race.

"No matter how high the reward, it's worthless if you're dead. Destroying chariots is only a condition for extra rewards, not for completing the task," Sunset Gold Smelter whispered to his companions. "Our ultimate goal is to win the race itself."

"That's obvious enough, no need to spell it out," the Witch's voice came from the machine gunner's nest. Her heart was racing with excitement, yet it was overshadowed by worry and concern. "Higher rewards mean higher risks.

"If we fail the mission, we'll be trapped in the isolated sandbox world until we achieve the objective.

"In any other mission, this might be an unprecedented opportunity to level up—we could stay here indefinitely, honing our skills, and return to the real world decked out in god-tier gear.

"But with the addendum that the time flow rates align, it becomes an incredibly cruel punishment. We might only return to reality a year later, and who knows what Earth will have become by then…"

The four players still had people and things they cared about on Earth. They hadn't completely abandoned their humanity to embrace the so-called 'transcendent Divinity' that some on the forums advocated.

The idea of waiting a year to return to reality was something they absolutely couldn't accept.

"Then let's do our best to win this race."

Li Ang, amidst the whistling Gale, buttoned the cuffs of his white coat. Looking ahead, he said calmly, "Win, and then go home."